You never forget your first time
by short dark and stubborn
Summary: Seventeen year old Scott Tracy is typical of boys his age. And when he and his girlfriend get the chance to be alone, he experiences one of those 'first time' moments. Rated T for implications.


I used the internet for the basic geography of Kansas. In the western region of the state there are forests, rivers and mountains and the highest point is called Mt. Sunflower. Sounds like an idyllic place. People may say it's flat but the Great Plains are beautiful and have so much history. I wish I knew them better to write about.

* * *

You never forget your first time.

Her name was Orlaith Brady. It was one of those Irish names with a very simple pronunciation. _Orla._ She was very pretty; not quite beautiful, but give her a few more years and she'd be a knockout.

That's what Scott Tracy thought, anyway.

Orlaith had long chocolate brown hair with cinnamon highlights. Her skin was Irish pale with a scattering of light freckles across the bridge of her nose. She had smiling, olive green eyes and a slightly crooked mouth which tipped up more on one side than the other. Her teeth were American perfect; like most kids she had worn orthodontic braces to straighten them up. Scott had liked her for a long time. She was sixteen, had just started high school, whereas he was seventeen and had already been there for a year. Because she wasn't in his classes it made him yearn to see her, all throughout the day. Scott Tracy had a crush, and he had it bad. It was a relief when the day came that he realized Orlaith had feelings for him, too. After that they spent most of their breaks together, studying in the library, eating lunch together in the cafeteria or just simply taking long walks together in the footpaths and fields that surrounded their high school. Kansas was a flat place but that didn't mean it wasn't filled with beauty. Scott loved his home state and took pleasure in nature itself. The sun on their faces that brought out Orlaith's freckles, the gentle breezes that rippled across distant wheat fields. These days would never come again, and so Scott Tracy made the most of them.

One weekend, Scott and Orlaith went camping with some friends to the foothills of Mount Sunflower. Basically they were in three pairs. Along with Scott and Orlaith there were Tammy and Adrienne and Gregory and Iryna. As the weekend went on, the pairs naturally went off to be by themselves and explore with some 'privacy'. Gregory and Iryna had been going steady for what seemed like forever and everyone knew they had _done it_. Tammy and Adrienne were still in the early stages of their relationship; giggly and flirty but scared of 'what might happen' if they shared a tent. Nobody pressed anyone for details. You didn't bug your peers about stuff like that. Live and let love was their motto.

You never forget your first time; and on Saturday afternoon, during a hike through a picturesque forest that climbed and dipped as it wended its way up the side of the mountain, it happened.

* * *

Scott held firmly onto Orlaith's hand and her olive green eyes gazed longingly into his blue ones.

"I'm scared," she whispered.

"Don't be," Scott murmured back. "It'll be okay."

"What if I get... ?"

"You won't," he assured her. "I'll make sure of it."

Orlaith bit her lower lip. Her gaze intensified. Scott felt it on every inch of his face and the blood flowed to his head, making his temples throb. He shifted his position on the ground. There were stones digging into his hip bones and he needed to get more comfortable. He didn't want Orlaith to see a single shred of doubt or worry on his face. He needed her to trust him implicitly.

Orlaith's voice trembled. "My mom will throw a fit. She didn't want me to come out here in the first place. She knew I would get into trouble."

"Your mom doesn't need to know about this," Scott replied gently. "This is just between you and me. I won't tell anyone if you don't."

Orlaith nodded mutely. Scott could see her beginning to put her full trust in him. It was a dizzying feeling.

"Orlaith, I love you. Now; hold on tight and do as I say, and everything will be all right. I promise you, Orlaith, everything will be all right. But I'm gonna need you to relax, and not fight me. Okay?"

Orlaith nodded. Her eyes, ever hopeful, burned brightly in his direction.

"Okay," she said, in a tiny voice that broke his heart as she gripped his hand more tightly. "Oh, Scott; I love you, too!"

* * *

Afterwards they lay in the grass, panting with exhaustion. Orlaith clung to Scott, her arms wrapped tightly around him. He whispered softly in her ear. stroked her tangled hair. "I told you it would be okay," he said, his tone low and soothing.

"You were wonderful, Scott. Just wonderful. Oh, Scott. Oh Scott. I love you."

Behind them, the last of the loosened rocks dislodged by Orlaith's feet when she fell went clattering down the side of the ravine. Orlaith was safe. _Orlaith was safe!_ Scott Tracy wanted to shout it into the dazzling blue sky. His heart beat so fast it almost came bursting out of his chest. He felt the most alive he'd ever felt. He would never forget this experience for as long as he lived.

Scott Tracy had carried out his first rescue.


End file.
